Chicken Casserole

This was a hit last night and can feed a crowd.


CHICKEN CASSEROLE

3-4 cups diced cooked chicken
2-3 cups cooked white rice
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup (6 oz.) sour cream
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until softened.

In a large bowl, combine soups, sour cream, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken, rice, and sauteed veggies. Stir until well mixed. Pour mixture into 13x9 dish.

In a medium bowl, combine crushed crackers, butter, and garlic powder. Spread over chicken mixture.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

**To reduce some calories, use the reduced fat versions of the soups and lowfat sour cream. There are also reduced fat Ritz crackers and you could just skip the butter (but I don't recommend it).

Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

Having lived in Louisiana for several years when I was young, I experienced my fair share of Cajun food and culture. I grew to love it quickly even though I was only 10 years old. The people are genuinely warm and friendly, much like the food they are famous for. Cajun cooking is comfort food, especially if you are familiar with the comfortable culture from which it was born.

This is one of my favorites and now my family enjoys it too! Feel free to omit the hot sauce if you don't enjoy a lot of spice in your foods, but the other spices add unmistakable flavor and most importantly... don't forget the Tony's! (You can find it in nearly any mainstream grocery store.)

Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (16 ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Tony’s Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 10 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked white rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until tender.
2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, and season with red pepper, black pepper, Tony’s, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Stir in cooked chicken and sausage. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Chicken Manicotti with Chive-Cream Sauce

• 12 Packaged dried manicotti shells
• 1 8-oz container soft-style cream cheese with chives and onion
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (10 oz)
• 1 10-oz package frozen chopped broccoli ,thawed and drained
• 1/2 of a 7-oz jar roasted red sweet peppers, drained and sliced, or one 4-oz jar diced pimiento, drained
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Cook manicotti shells according to package directions. Drain shells; rinse with cold water. Drain again.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small heavy saucepan melt cream cheese over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Slowly add milk, stirring until smooth. Stir in Romano or Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat.

For filling, in a medium mixing bowl, stir together 3/4 cup of the sauce, chicken, broccoli, roasted red sweet peppers or pimiento, and black pepper. Using a small spoon, carefully fill each manicotti shell with about 1/3 cup of filling.

Arrange the filled shells in a 3-quart rectangular backing dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with paprika. cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 396 calories, 25 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 18g fat (9 saturated), 92 mg cholesterol, 257 mg sodium

Notes: This is really easy, the stuffing can take a little getting used to if you've never done it before like me. We use whole wheat pasta, healthier for you and in my opinion tastes better. I would double the recipe to the sauce. It worked out okay for us but next time I think I will double up on the sauce, it is VERY good. Don't cook all 12 noodles, as it says makes 6 servings. The roasted peppers that we found came in like a 16 oz jar where condiments were. There weren't many choices so be thorough when browsing for it.

Resource: Easy Everyday Cooking